The present invention relates to communication and control devices used by patients in a health care facility, such as hospital patients.
In many hospitals, a communication/control device allows a patient to call a nurse by pressing a nurse-call-button on the device. The same communication/control device may also include buttons which enable the patient to alter her environment, for example, by controlling a television, turning on a light, or adjusting the position of a bed. Such communication/control devices may also include a speaker that may be used to listen to the audio portion of a television broadcast.
The number and types of devices that are controlled by such a communication/control device may vary from hospital to hospital. For example, the system which responds when a nurse-call-button is pressed in a first hospital may be designed differently from the system which responds when a nurse-call-button is pressed in a second hospital. Similarly, a television in a first hospital may be different from a television in a second hospital, and therefore the signals used to control the television in the first hospital may be different from the signals used to control the television in the second hospital. Consequently, communication/control devices in two different hospitals may be required to provide the same functions to a patient, but communicate with and control different systems.
Further, communication/control devices in two different hospitals may be required to provide different functions to patients. For example, in a first hospital, a communication/control device may be required to allow a patient to open and close the curtains, while in a second hospital, a communication/control device will not be used to open and close the curtains.
A communication/control device according to the invention may include a housing, a discrete switch and a membrane switch. The discrete switch and the membrane switch may be enclosed in the housing. The discrete switch may be in communication with a life-safety device. The membrane switch may be in communication with an environment device.
In a method according to the invention, a discrete switch and a membrane switch are provided. The discrete switch may be provided in communication with a life-safety device. The membrane switch may be provided in communication with an environment device. In the method, one of the switches is actuated in order to communicate information. In one embodiment of the invention, the discrete switch is actuated, and the information is a medical emergency. In another embodiment of the invention, the membrane switch is actuated, and the information is a desired change to the environment of an individual.